Pie Town Flower Guard once again seeking volunteers for Memorial Day parade

Linda N. Weller, lweller@civitasmedia.com

Published
4:09 pm CDT, Thursday, May 19, 2016

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Pie Town Flower Guard once again seeking volunteers for Memorial Day parade

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ALTON — Founder of the 36-year-old Pie Town Flower Guard once again is seeking help collecting flowers along Alton’s Memorial Day parade route and decorating veterans’ graves afterwards.

“We are asking for groups from service organizations, schools, churches and families to help put out flowers on soldiers’ graves,” said Connie Markley, founder of the flower guard. “Also, we need girls 10 to 20 years old for the Flower Guard in the parade.”

Markley asks volunteers to contact her by May 27 by calling (618) 462-0198 or (618) 530-8730.

The city’s 149th annual parade is sponsored by East End Improvement Association in cooperation with Upper Alton Association Inc.

As tradition, the parade once again steps off at 10 a.m. May 30 from the “Pit” parking lot at Alton Middle School, 2200 College Ave., and winds through Upper Alton.

The Flower Guard collects live flower cuttings from parade viewers lining the streets as the guard’s costumed girls walk the route, wearing wrap-around skirts and white blouses. “We are inviting residents to bring any live cut flowers they may have in their yard to the parade, to be used along with the flowers the florists donate,” Markley said.

Once at Upper Alton Cemetery, 2090 Oakwood Road — after the Memorial Day service at the Avenue of Flags on the north end of the cemetery along Homer Adams Parkway — the girls and other volunteers will decorate the more than 3,000 veterans’ graves with the flowers Markley and the guard have gathered.

The Marine Corps League Alton Leathernecks #1160 is posting the flags to honor deceased military personnel.

To help out with the floral supply, Jeffrey’s Flowers by Design of Wood River and Dick’s Flowers Inc. of Alton and Wood River also donate blooms for the graves. Milton Flower Shop of Alton, then, keeps the flowers in cool storage until the holiday.

Markley said the guard no longer can use artificial flowers to decorate the graves, because they would have to pick them up before the grounds can be mowed.

As he did last year, Alton Fire Chief Bernie Sebold is inviting firefighters from throughout the area to assemble at Rock Spring Park, next to the middle school, to walk in the parade. The firefighters are not to bring firetrucks, however.

For information on the parade, call Sue McCoy at the Alton Township Assessor’s office: (618) 462-7527.